Hauling meets convenience in self-shifting Volkswagen Crafter

South Africa’s reliance on bakkies to move objects around is known the world over regardless of the item’s size, length, height or quantity.

On the opposite side of the pond, it is a different story.

Challenging the bakkie dominance

Europe’s fascination and love for vans is similarly well documented and part of the local landscape. Simply put, if you want to lug or haul stuff around, you buy a van, no questions asked.

While unlikely to be toppled soon, the question of vans being better suited from a size and/or security perspective than bakkies remains a subject of much debate among businesses and transport firms throughout any given year.

As if to prove the point, manufacturers have started looking at the segment more closely in recent years, with the addition of more models, variants and features. Cue the inclusion earlier this year of two new derivatives of the Volkswagen Crafter.

The new big…

Designed from the ground-up as an in-house Volkswagen-developed model with no links to its arch rival, Mercedes-Benz Sprinter, which provided the base for the previous generation as part of Wolfsburg’s then joint partnership with the three-pointed star, the Crafter has amassed a loyal following either as a van or a converted long haul bus.

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Now two years after its South African debut, the range has been bolstered by the inclusion of a 4Motion all-wheel-drive model and the subject of this impression, an automatic, both exclusive to the 35 MCV derivative that requires a normal code 8 licence rather than the code 10 necessitated by the bigger 50.

Having sampled the manual equipped Crafter three years ago, the opportunity to scrutinise the self-shifter didn’t come with much hesitation, but with a familiar sense of déjà vu.

…but how big is big?

While its serves as the smallest Crafter model, our 35 tester, thanks to the optional high roof that will set you back R26 500, is simply huge on first glance.

Measuring just under six metres in overall length and standing almost 2.4 metres high, it is the very epitome of a box on wheels, that outguns anything from a practical standout a one-ton bakkie of a similar price offers.

Although styling is of little interest when it comes to a van, the back-to-basics Crafter with its pointy long bonnet, 16-inch steel wheels, and plain white paint finish, has an element of aggression to it, thanks in equal part to its sheer size.

And nowhere is that size aspect more evident than muscling the single side sliding door open or indeed the huge barn-style rear doors. With a loading capacity of 9.3m³ and claimed payload of 1 487 kg, 110 kg less than the manual, the Crafter’s loading area does without side panelling so as to aid customisation, depending on a buyer’s requirements.

A series of floor mounted tie-down hooks are, however, offered, along with the ability of having the doors locked separately from those at the front.

As part of the options list, the only aspect that dwarfs the Crafter’s size, buyers can also specify dual sliding side doors (R12 700) and rear doors that open up to 270-degrees (R9 300).

The novelty of standing upright without one’s head touching the roof aside, the ease of loading items, helped by the low floor and side steps, showed when the Crafter was tasked with moving a pair of queen sized mattresses during its stay. 

As much as the loading took a toll on the humans doing the heaving and shoving, the beds fit perfectly, with acres of room to spare.

In the same way as the loading area, the Crafter’s interior is akin to stepping onto the bridge of cruise-liner.

Space to lose everything inside

Tugging open the door, the cabin is best described as basic, with equipment levels being sparse. Being a van, soft plastics or piano key black accents are alien to the Crafter, as hard wearing plastics in shades of grey and beige are the order of the day.

Hard but screwed together properly, the simplicity of the interior extends to the mentioned roominess and endless areas of storage. Aside from the glovebox, stowage is provided by the trays on the dashboard, slots beside the gear lever and underneath the radio, deep door pockets, underneath the seats, and by the overhead storage compartment.

As standard, the Crafter sports a 2+1 bench seat with the driver’s chair being adjustable along with the steering column.

Surprisingly, the Crafter comes as standard with electric windows, but relegates air-conditioning to the options list at a pricey R15 800.

The all-important ventilation did however feature on our tester, along with an aftermarket audio system with two-speakers and other standard items comprising Autonomous Emergency Braking, Crosswind Assist, Hill Hold Assist, Driver Attention Alert and Electronic Stability Programme.

Vision, what vision?

As much as ease of operation and understanding serves as key aspects, the Crafter’s main flaw is most prevalent on the move. Thanks to its size, and despite the steering being light, manoeuvring in tight spaces becomes a pain, but not as much as reversing.

With no rearwards visibility as a result of the steel bulkhead separating the cabin from the loading area, reversing not only becomes a faff, but also a huge annoyance and even a worry. The only solution is to dig deeper and pay the extra R5 100 and R7 900 for the reverse camera and all-around parking sensors respectively.

Willing to perform but unfairly hamstrung

On the move, matters are even less clear-cut. In spite of the seemingly underwhelming looking 103kW/340Nm provided by the 2.0 TDI engine, the grunt is more than sufficient, with a lot of low-down punch to make progress effortless from the get-go.

Unfortunately, the inclusion of the eight-speed Tiptronic gearbox is less satisfactory. While generally as slick as the manual and more convenient on a day-to-day basis, it becomes flustered by sudden changes and refuses to downshift quick enough when needed.

A manual mode is provided and despite being welcomed, the shifts are still a bit delayed and characterised by a slight jerk not noticeable in Drive.

The biggest issue with the Crafter though is the mandated limited top speed of 100 km/h. While understandable, the limiter not only blights the willingness of the engine, but also makes the Crafter feel ponderous and incapable of overtaking that often occurs above said speed.

The speed handicap didn’t filter through to the fuel consumption though, where the Crafter recorded a very respectable indicated best of 9.0 L/100 km after seven days and just over 500 km in town and highway driving.

Unsurprisingly, the ride is bouncy with every imperfection felt regardless of it being a speedbump of surface change. As evident when fitted with a load though, it becomes a lot more palpable, with another surprise being the lack of engine noise and fairly minor, for a van, intrusion of road noise at max speed.

Conclusion

The convenience of a van, while not new, has not always been recognised by bakkie loving South Africans, due to their lack of combining work with play.

When the former takes preference though, it becomes another story. With an already vested reputation, the addition of an automatic gearbox has added a further element the Volkswagen Crafter operators travelling long distances or in the confines of the city are unlikely to frown upon.

At R659 400 before options though, it is still on the pricey side, considering the lack of features offered as standard on its main rival, the manual only Ford Transit.

However, with its price tag likely to undercut the incoming new Sprinter, it makes for a solid buy, but one which needs to have the various parking aids as standard to sweeten the deal.